The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1887-03-23


romantic region than that beyond the
Blue Ridge mountains, in North Carroll
ma, where the wolf and the Indian vet
play thcir part, as in the days of carly
settlement In Jackson county u vast
tract OF land is owned by the Cherokees,
the eastern band" of this once power.
ful tribe having there their chief estate.
Seated by cozy fire the other night,
IN committee room in the capitol
Senator Elias related curious story
He said that in 1862 stalwart noun
taincor named Ilamrick, who up to that
time had managed to avoid the war and
Its attendant features of volunteering Cr
being conscripted brought buxom
wife with him from Swain county into
Jackson county, and made his home i'm
this quiet and lovely cove in the Indian
reservation.
Months passed The pair were de-
voted. The young wife experienced all
the delights of thoroughly primitive
existence. But this was not TO last
There was regiment Of Cherokces in
the service Of the State, under the com
mand of old Colonel Thomas. One day
an officer of this regiment returned and
found tamrick i'll the cove. The latter was
conscripted and hurried to the front.
His wife next heard from him in North
crn Virginia. Letters werc jnfrcqucnt,
messages seldom came.
In 1864 the wifo-to whom Il pair OF
twins, a boy and Il girl, had been born
learned that her husband had disap-
peared; that after his name on the roll
OF his company was only that dreadful
entry, missing"
In 1868 the war ended, and with its
nInSn tn hnI tlp l,nI L..
band had dcscltcd-gone over to the
enemy. Year after year passed. The
wife kept the vigil OF love and wcarily
waited for the missing husband, who
never came.
There were woocrs enough, and "the
widow, rs she was called III the neigh
borhood talk, had what were thele con
sldcred good offers. One patient lover
named Bowers, thrice rejected, perse-
vered, and in 1876 won the prize of his
devotion. He brought his effects to his
wife's homo in the cove.
Ten years moro passed and 1856 came.
Not one word OF the long lost first hus.
band had been heard since the returning
soldiers brought news in 1865 of Ham
rick's desertion. True as the wife's de-
votion was to her second husband, she
had yet warm spot in her simple heart
Tor the first, and in her rude, umculturcd
way she even wOVe a half romance out
OF the great and apparently uncnding
mystery of his absence.
One bright day last summera stranger
came to Bowcrs's homo in the cove. The
place was III most respects like it was in
1868, for changes in the mountain wilds
arc made slowly. Bowers was not at
home. The wife was now Il buXom
woman OF forty years, far tidicr in APP
pearanco and with much moro natural
grace and sprightlincss of manner than
the average woman in that section. The
stranger asked who lived there He was
told "thc Bowers family" In hos
pitablc manner he was asked in the
house, where presently came to their
mother two children, one of six, and the
other OF nine years.
At dinner time the family received two
more additlons-a young man and young
woman, about twenty three years of age,
exceedingly alike III face and manner.
The stranger asked, "Who are thcsc?"
"They arc Hamricks's," was the reply
OF the good wife; "my children by my
first husband" People i'll the mouG-
tains III many cases loved to talk--in
fact, are not infrcquently garrulous
and III half an hour the wife had told
the story of her first marriage and the
deep mystery which had ended it, The
stranger listened attenhvcly, and Just us
the story was concluded Bowers came in.
a neighbor came in. and soon learned
the story, too. The wife bustlcd about, of
course, excited, but not in tears. Ham
rick and Bowers talked together.
The neighbors, after the manner of
M ipb al k,l 4
news to people within reach, and next
day these came to hear and see. \ few,
very few, had remembrance OF Ham
rick; not vivid, but faint, for he had
lived i'll that section but little while, OF
course.
Presently some loquacious ncighbor
said to Bowers: 'Well, what are you
going to do about it?"
"About what?" was the reply.
"Why, about that man HaMrick. He's
your wife's husband"
This put new face on the matter.
Bowers had not thought of it III that
way, neither had the wife. She broke
| into tears.
There were dozen people in the
house. All were listening and looking
with rude curiosity.
The house seemed clamped Bowers
said: "Lot's go outdoors" All went.
No sooner had they arrived in the
yard than the wife went to Bowers and
threw her arms about him.
AT this whatever manliness there was
i'll Hamrick came to the surface and
asserted itself He said: ''I'll tell you
what I'll do, people; l don't want to
make no disturbance and IN go right
| back where L came from"
That was all he said. The crowd half
spoke, half nodded assent to the propo-
sition and plan in one. Right there,
under the trees, the matter was fixed as
if in court before n jury. Hamrick said
he was satisfied, and declared that this
time he would go "for good" He told
the people, his wife, his children, all
goodbye. Only the wife cried, not
through any sentimentality about the
situation, but out OF pure emotion and n
desire to do her duty in her own simple
way.
There was, nevertheless, in the situa-